On 15 November 2024, Netflix shattered many records with one of its live sports events, garnering more than 65 million household streams. Over 108 million people watched Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul square off in the ring, making it one of the biggest recent fights. Furthermore, the fact that fans across the globe could watch the fight just via Netflix subscription and without any PPV price made it even better.

A fight like this usually costs around $80 and $100 for a pay-per-view event. Many predicted this move as a massive shift from the PPV method, claiming that it would change the industry. However, the streaming service of Netflix faced several issues during the live bout. Furthermore, many experts have claimed that the subscription method is unsustainable. IFL TV writer Billie Sloane also shared his opinion on the matter in his weekly column.

Too soon to predict

Sloane claimed that “Netflix’s Entry into live boxing is a bold move, but it’s too soon to declare it a game-changer.” Even though the Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul fight was a massive success, it does not mean every fight will garner the same views. Not every fight will have a legend like Mike Tyson returning after 19 years.

Sloane further claimed that “For now, traditional PPV remains essential for funding boxing’s biggest events,’ claiming that boxing has always thrived on PPV revenue and it has not changed. Sloane accepted the fact that “streaming platforms offer intriguing alternatives,” but the Netflix fight raised more questions than the answers.

According to the reporter, while the fight attracted almost 108 million views, we can’t compare those numbers to PPV buys. He claimed the economics of a streaming service is so different from the PPV method that no one can identify whether “fight generate enough value to justify the reported $30 million combined purse for,” Jake Paul and Mike Tyson.

Sloane then referred to the concerns raised by Frank Warren during an interview with iFL TV. Warren claimed that “Big fights aren’t cheap, and they shouldn’t be. If you’re not charging fans directly, how do you cover those costs?” 

While the experts and promoters are directly questioning the streaming services, MVP Co-founder Nakisa Bidarian, alongside Jake Paul, has different ideas. The duo revealed their future with Netflix.

Jake Paul reveals future with Netflix

After the event, Bidarian sat down for an interview with talkSport Boxing. He expressed his delight with Netflix and promised a continued partnership. The success of the Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson fight put any question out of the picture as he declared, “The numbers were astronomical, the success—unprecedented. The hope is we’re going to find ways to continue working together.”

The emotion was the same on the other side as Netflix’s CTO, Elizabeth Stone, acknowledged the problems in their first livestream, but promised to do better. “We have room for improvement but still consider this event a huge success,” stated Stone.

With that, it appears that despite the doubts and fears of industry giants, Netflix will enter the boxing world permanently. How it will fare? Only time will tell. But till then, we can expect some big announcements from Netflix and MVP.

What do you think about Netflix’s partnership with MVP? Do you think it is unsustainable in the long run?